Our pastor preached on prayer at church yesterday. It was good for all of us in the congregation, I think,  to do a bit of a self-check on how well (and how regularly) we’re communicating with God these days.  It’s easy, isn’t it, to get stuck in a rut? Or get sidetracked all together! (Hmmm …  Should I pray, or check Facebook …?)

Don’t laugh.  I’ll bet it’s a more common choice than you think.  Both give you a relational fix but I’ll bet the devil is sure hoping we’ll all pick Facebook! (Don’t get me wrong. I like Facebook. I’m just talking priorities here.)

So, I’ll pass along to you the question we considered in church yesterday. How’s YOUR prayer life lately?  Are you on a roll … or feeling kind of dry? If it’s the latter,  don’t be too hard on yourself! And don’t give up entirely. We all have seasons where prayer is more of a challenge than at other times.  Thankfully, we have a God who loves to make “streams in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19), especially when those deserts are our own hearts.

Here’s a little self-evaluation I developed a few years ago when I was a columnist and editor for Pray! magazine. I’m posting it here so you can use it, if you like, to assess and figure out if (and where) your own prayer life might need a boost.

If you’re “booming”—great! But if your prayer life is a bit of a bust lately, I hope you’ll be encouraged to pick up the Conversation again.

         Many sincere christians are convinced that prayer is boring. There is only one reason

 for this misconception; they haven't learned the role the Holy Spirit has in genuine prayer.

 When the Apostle Paul told christians "Pray in the spirit" He was not just giving some token

 religious platitude; he was pointing them to the key to all effective prayer. A spirit filled  

 person is a prayer filled person. A prayer person is a spirit filled person. The Holy Spirit is

 a praying spirit. He is called the spirit of grace and supplication, as we are filled with the 

 Holy Spirit, our prayer lives will prosper

 Prayer Thought: By the ear of faith help me daley to hear thy voice. Make me to obey

 regardless of my own feeling and desires. 

In the February issue of Connections (published by International Prayer Connect), you will find the following articles.

(Please e-mail IPC with your name and e-mail address to sign up for this newsletter. office@ipcprayer.org)

INTERNATIONAL PRAYER CONNECTIONS

February 2012

“Globalizing Prayer, Transforming our World”

IN THIS EDITION

1. 1.           What Controls Your Attention Controls Your Life!
2. 2.           World Prayer Assembly- Momentum Building!
3. 3.           Afghanistan and Pakistan: Continued Violence and Pakistani Link to the Taliban
4. 4.           Pakistan Needs Your Prayers
5. 5.           National Prayer Network of Pakistan (Intercessors Network of Pakistan) announces a 40-Day National Prayer and Fasting Campaign 2012-20th February to 30th March 2012
6. 6.           Iran and the Gulf States
7. 7.           50 Countries Where Christians Face Most Persecution
8. 8.           Personal Plea for Egypt
9. 9.           Mozambique: Global Year of United Prayer for Mozambique
10. 10.       South Sudan Peace Initiative
11. 11.       Hollywood Prayer Effort, March 15-17
12. 12.       Mexico—Number Two in Child Pornography
13. 13.       How Can Americans be Saved?
14. 14.       Burma
15. 15.       Urgent Prayer for Christians in Syria
16. 16.       Yemen: Al-Qaeda on the Move
17. 17.       Seek God for Your City!
18. 18.       India Prayer Guide
19. 19.       Call to Prayer for the World Prayer Assembly (WPA), May 14-18, 2012
20. 20.       IPC Events Calendar
21. 21.       The IPC Website
22. 22.       About International Prayer Connect (IPC)
23. 23.       Donating to IPC through PayPal
24. 24.       Contacting the IPC Office

I've decided to follow the 40 Day plan of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

I am really trying to come to terms with the fact that the main goal in life is not to obtain wealth, happiness and success. America brainwashes us into thinking that we must have the biggest, the best, the fastest in order to be considered successful and no matter how much money you have more will make you even happier. We all have heard of the rich and famous people who are miserable and poor people that appear to be happier, Why is that? Yes, living a life of comfort is great, no one wants to struggle for the basics, food, shelter, clothing or the means to enjoy one self but where does comfort end and greed begin? 

My ultimate goal is to totally realize that I am a child of the Most High God and everyone else are my brothers and sisters deserving of love, respect and a helping hand, so let it begin with me.

Those of us who love to pray may not find it hard to make time or find motivation to talk with God. But how do we encourage people around us who still struggle with those issues? My recent interview with Diana Kay of “Author’s Beat” explored those issues. Take a few minutes to check it out >>> http://authorsbeat.podbean.com/2012/02/01/prayer-begins-with-relationship/

The Power of Prayer

By Rick Ezell

"So I prayed to the God of heaven . . ." (Neh. 2:4 HCSB).

When asked to share his thoughts on the power of prayer, a retired missionary quickly recalled an event that took place several years earlier while he was piloting a small Piper Cub airplane. After flying for several hours toward his destination he saw a sight that filled him with dread. "Directly ahead of me was the boiling, swirling black fury of a summer storm. Below were the mountains. A landing was impossible. I had passed the point of no return and didn't have enough fuel to get back," he recalled. His small Piper Cub was not equipped to fly through a storm. Not knowing what to do, he began to fly in a circle while trying to determine a course of action. With his gas gauge registering empty, the man knew he had to attempt a landing at a nearby airport but it meant flying into the storm.

As he piloted his small aircraft into the clouds, the rain began to come down in torrents. Within seconds of entering the storm, the little plane was tossed about like a canoe on an angry sea. The plane's instruments were spinning crazily. He had no way of knowing if the Piper Cub was flying upside down, on its side, or right side up. He couldn't see the ground or the sky, only a swirling blackness. "I was completely helpless to do anything except pray to God to help me," he said.

Immediately after the prayer a tiny break appeared in the clouds directly below him. He could see the ground. With a shout of joy, he flew the little Cub through the small hole in the clouds. Right below was the airport. Desperately, he guided his plane toward the runway. Even though he approached from the wrong direction and overshot the runway, he landed safely. As he taxied back to the hangar, the tiny hole in the clouds closed into complete blackness again. Later he learned that the small break in the clouds lasted only a few moments and that it was the only break in the ceiling all afternoon.

Nehemiah was a man of prayer. After receiving word that the wall in Jerusalem was demolished and the people were distraught, he sought an opening to ask his master, King Artaxerxes, for permission to return to Jerusalem to help rebuild the wall. One day as Nehemiah was serving the king, the king asked him why he was so sad. With his heart racing like a wind whipping across the prairie and his emotions swirling like the clouds in a thunderstorm, he thought: Is this the opportunity I have been asking for? Is this the opening I have sought?

Like the pilot of the Piper Cub, immediately after praying, Nehemiah saw a tiny break in the clouds. He went through the opening. He was granted permission to leave. He landed in Jerusalem all because he prayed.

Would the king have granted Nehemiah permission to go to Jerusalem had he not been praying? Perhaps, but we have no guarantee. We do, however, have an example: The power of God was triggered by prayer. God opened the heart of King Artaxerxes, Nehemiah was granted permission to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem. The key that unlocked that door was prayer.

The practice of prayer in a believer's life is an incredible, virtually untapped power source. Prayer moves the hand of God. Prayer prevails. Prayer turns ordinary mortals into men and women of power. It is the key that unlocks the storehouse of God's riches. It is the call that moves heaven to act on behalf of earth.

The power of prayer is not found in the words you use, but in the one who hears. Prayer is the key that unlocks heaven's door.

Copyright 2012, Rick Ezell.

For a fine dinner with our spouse, you will go our of your way to clean the dining room, set the fine china, light the candles, and remove any distraction from this event. God appreciates our "setting the table."

What happens when we set the table? God arrives for dinner with his expectant worshipers. He moves in the hearts and lives of believers. He provides jobs, grace, hope, help, and cheer for all occasions. Our God lives. Our God reigns.

For a church to set the table means: praying over the facilities and events prior to the event. It also means: inviting people to this special event. From your own perspective, you must believe that the event is special, or you will have nothing to invite friends to. Strangers will not be attracted to a special event that you are not inspired to be a part of.

For a church: conflict is a distraction to worship. The Gospel of Peace must be shared by believers who live in peace with the Savior and one another. Any church caught in conflict does not share the Gospel message. You will not invite people to a conflict. You will invite them to worship.

Are you distracted? Or is the church actually caught up in conflict? Seek God for the right heart attitude toward your worship and your church.

For the church: Our commission is to share the Gospel of Peace with the world. The world of future believers begins right outside my door. Before you guilt yourself for not sharing. Ask God for something worthy of sharing. Something that only God could work out. Something only God can make happen. Something marvelous, miraculous, and personal from the hand of God to you.

Share what He has done to give you joy. Bless people with your Christ moments and experiences. Others will not debate what you have personally verified. The may debate truth, the Bible, the church, but they cannot deny what you have lived.

Set the table. Feast with Jesus. And don't keep the blessings locked up inside the church building.

Bob Sjogren is a long time friend of mine who is well known in mission circles for his training on the Biblical Basis for Mission, or the Missionary Basis of the Bible. His book Unveiled at Last probably best capsulizes that particular training and I'll guarantee you won't regret getting and reading it. Additionally, his seminar, Cat & Dog Theology (and book by the same title) will rock your world as you discover how you are often more like a cat than a dog in how you relate to God -  and that's not a compliment (sorry cat lovers!).

    So where does Prayer to Go come in? Well, Bob has also created a excellent web site with free prayer training mp3s in various categories for both young and old. Check it out here and take a spin around the site and to see for yourself how this tool has considerable potential to jump start you into a life of prayer. It's like having a prayer mentor on your mp3 player.

    If you try it and actually take it to heart and put it into practice, please come back and let us know the benefit it has been to you ... and beyond you, through your prayers ... or how it might be improved or used in a different way that is already recommended. Finally, let Bob know as well and pray about partnering with him in the spread of Prayer to Go.

Blessings!

Dave Imboden

From: http://mirzactmprayer.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/praying-for-president-obama/

Scriptural Prayer Principles

I am in the ministry of encouraging people to “Pray Scripture Back to God.” This is the ministry that the Lord has brought me to and in the course of this ministry I hear some very bizarre prayers. Recently Psalm 109, and praying it regarding President Obama has come back onto Facebook. How this passage was used, I have no definitive clue, but it is time to talk about the issue of praying scripture back to God regarding our governmental leaders.

As you read this, remember, my audience. You see, the Word talks about those who cannot “…accept the things of the Spirit of God…” (1 Corinthians 2:14). So my audience is the Christian, who I hope will put aside their partisan beliefs and see what scripture clearly says, THEN they can decide how to pray, AFTER they clearly see what scripture says. I repeated this thought regarding scripture’s clarity because God Himself “…explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits…” (1 Timothy 4:1) and this is especially true today as it relates to politics.

So, I would like to use this occasion to bring some clarity to praying for our president, WHETHER you like him or not. Let’s see if we can do that, okay?

First of all, I believe that my political preference should have NO EFFECT on this article if I am “…accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). And my commitment to you, is that it will not. It MUST NOT, if this Bible is for all of us (and in the context of this article, I mean all who are saved), no matter our political persuasion, gender, ethnic background, etc. If the Bible caters to one over the other, then the Holy Spirit made a mistake, and therefore the apostle Paul made a mistake when he penned the words (talking about Holy Writ), “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for [all of us, for] our instruction…” (Romans 15:4)and the rest of the verse tells us WHY this is so important, “…so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Secondly, let me admit that I have always struggled with trusting newspapers, but especially now, during the year of the presidential election. Did the article exaggerate? I don’t know. Did the congressman say something inappropriate? I don’t know. But there is something that I do know, and that is praying scripture back to God.

Finally, here’s the outline of this article. We will discuss, 1) God’s View Of Leaders, 2) Man’s View Of Leaders, and 3) Praying For Leaders. Let me state right here, that I believe the Word of God to be the infallible word of God, completely inerrant as it was written, and that historical evidence, bibliographical evidence, external and internal evidence all show us that the Word of God, as it has come to us today is nearly 100% accurate, to the extant writings (the last number I read was 98+% accurate) and that the VERY FEW words that we do not know with absolute certainty have NOTHING to do with doctrinal content. So I have no problem saying that I believe EVERY WORD in my Bible. There are however, some translations that, when I compare them to others tell me that I must be very discerning about which version I use. So, I will use the NASB (New American Standard Bible, copyright 1995) in this entire post. So, before we even get started, here’s the bottom line in all of this, The Word of God, and what it says.

1) God’s View Of Leaders (Romans 13:1-7)

1Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 5Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 6For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

Let me point out that scripture not only says, “…there is no authority except from God…” (Vs 1) but the verse finishes with it saying that “…those [governing authorities] which exist are established by God…” “Established by God”? It makes it sound like God will have as a leader whom He wants to have as a leader…He, the God of the universe. The One who spoke the words and the worlds leapt into existence “Established” our governing authorities…Don’t miss that! If you want to blame someone, now, because of the past, or because of the future, blame God!

Look at verse 2, the clear issue is that we are to NOT oppose God’s will. The verse, in part says, “…whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God…” Here’s the question you have to decide, no matter WHO the leader is…in this country, in another country, in this period of time, or in another period of time…like when Nero was running the Roman empire and murdering Christians unmercifully (which, by the way, is when Paul lived and wrote to us). The question is, what is God’s will in allowing individuals to become one’s leaders. Some will argue that you cannot know God’s will. I would disagree and simply point to 1 John 5:14-15 and James 1:6-7 which make pretty plain to me, that if I pray and DO NOT know God’s will, why am I praying? Now don’t be confused, I am NOT saying that I can know every bit of reasoning behind God’s will or know His full will, He clearly tells us in Isaiah 55:9 (and other places) that “…My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” So here’s my question to you, “While you may not know why God allowed someone into office (either that you agree with or do not agree with) what has the Holy Spirit laid on YOUR HEART to do?” Saying it another way, what is God’s will in YOUR LIFE regarding this issue?

Now verses 3-4 give us some wording that, if you agree with a particular leader, you will readily agree with, but if you disagree with the leader, you will say, HOW do I reconcile these parts of these verses? Namely, that the leader will “praise” you (Vs 3) and be a “minister of God to you for good” (Vs 4). I think that no matter which side of the aisle you prefer, the way we should reconcile these, is NOT to expect God to give us a perfect leader (remember Nero, when Paul was writing, 2000 years ago), but by looking at verse 5, which tells us to be under “…subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake…” For “conscience’ sake” because they are the “servants of God” (Vs 6). Let me use an extreme example from scripture. I’m not comparing leaders here, I am showing you God’s view of leaders. The Lord put into the heart of Nebuchadnezzar to conquer the Israelites, because of their sin, and He explicitly says, that Nebuchadnezzar is His servant (Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6 and 43:10). Again, I am NOT comparing President Obama to Nebuchadnezzar, I am merely taking away the argument, from those that believe President Obama is NOT a servant of God, by showing that if Nebuchadnezzar was, then based on what Romans 13:6 tells us, so is President Obama (again, I am not comparing President Obama to Nebuchadnezzar).

Now that this foundation is laid, let me go to verse 7, which is why the previous emphasis was so important, namely, whether you like the guy or not, give him [President Obama] “honor.”

2) Man’s View Of Leaders (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Either you want him in or you want him out!

I cannot tell you how many times I hear us pray this verse, like this, “Oh Father, if Your people, who are called by Your name, would humble themselves and pray and seek Your face, then You will hear us from heaven and fix Washington DC.” Now I know that NONE of you would ever admit that…after all, you see the fallacy in that kind of a prayer when you read it. But think about it…isn’t that what you hope?

And what about folks who WANT President Obama to stay in office…is it appropriate to pray for a hedge of protection? I would say, “No.” In fact, I teach on this very simple, practical teaching, often, that nowhere in scripture, do we read about praying a “hedge of protection.” Why? Because, hear me now, BECAUSE, our God is ALREADY protecting us! That’s why you don’t need to pray for a hedge of protection. Folks, since Psalm 103:19 is still true, “…His sovereignty rules over all” I fear that we are actually telling God that we do not trust Him by us praying, asking for Him to protect us. Let me use an extreme example to make my point here. When someone is going on Holiday and you want to pray for their protection, pray Exodus 23:20 “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you [I believe the context here is that the Angel is Jesus] to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.”  We all know that not every plane makes it across the ocean, but in praying Exodus 23:20 we recognize that their plane will end up where God, the Sovereign of the universe wants it to end up. And wherever the plane ends up, He has already prepared that place for them AND He has been alongside them the entire way. He will do what He wants, and our job is to submit to Him, because WE CAN TRUST HIM! And if (most likely “when”) the plane makes it to the expected destination, God has prepared that place for them!

3) Praying For Leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Finally, how should we then pray for our leaders? Let’s look at this passage. “1First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Let me rewrite it as a prayer: Father, I am grateful for the emphasis that Paul placed on this subject. Show me how You want me to pray and give thanks for all people, but especially our President, and all who are in authority. Lord, You desire that we lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. And because this is Your will, I trust that no matter who is in authority, my peace, godliness and dignity will be evident to all. We know Lord that when this happens, because it is good and acceptable in Your sight, men will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

Conclusion

I often teach that we in the 21st century West are just as guilty of worshipping idols as those we read about in scripture. How? By worrying. Whether you worry about who will get in office or who will stay in office, whether “your man” is in or whether “your man” is out, I believe that ANYTHING you worry about is a worry because you have chosen to not trust God with it and therefore set it up above God. I say this, because if the Lord was first in your life, and He was who you trusted, AND submitted to, you would trust his decisions. Listen, get involved with the process and vote your conscience, but at the end of the day (maybe even at the beginning of the day), thank God for whoever He puts into office! 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I have rewritten this verse and not been zapped yet, so let me give it to you, “In everything give thanks, for God has something up His sleeve!” Make sure you vote. It is your responsibility, but trust that God is in control and He will have as a leader whom He wants, for whatever reasons He has in mind.

Let me go to a sobering Samuel passage (1 Samuel 12:20-25). He is facing people that are just like us, only 3000 years removed. One election cycle Samuel’s words are for the Democrats, and another election cycle they are for the Republicans. The Israelites asked for someone else to lead them, rather than God, and here was Samuel’s words to them: 20Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21“You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which cannot profit or deliver, because they are futile. 22“For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. 23“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way. 24“Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25“But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away.” I believe this should be sobering for those who have put their trust in government. If you have put your trust in government, it will be evidenced by your WORRYING about the results. This demonstrates where your true trust is, namely, in idolatry or in God.

Let me finish with 2 Chronicles 7:14, as I pray it for you and me, whichever side of the aisle you’re interested in. “Father, forgive us, Your people, the ones called by Your name, for being so reluctant to humble ourselves and pray. Oh Lord, we’d rather trust in ‘our-man’ than seek Your face. In fact, when we seek You, we typically seek Your hand, instead of Your face. Forgive us Lord. Father, let us realize how we have set our government up as an idol before You, and turn from that wickedness. We know Lord that when we do turn from that wickedness, You will hear us from heaven, forgive us of our sins, which in this case is the sin of idolatry, and You will heal our land, my land, where I walk. And Father, I believe that as You do this, as You heal my land, You will heal others’ lands, where they walk, and eventually Lord, You will heal our entire land. But it begins with me, humbling myself before You.”

Phil Miglioratti recently stirred my reflective juices by asking for my perspective on how prayer, evangelism, and discipleship are related.

    It's a worthy question, especially for people who are so involved in any particular aspect of ministry that it becomes their primary, almost exclusive, frame of reference. Should prayer, discipleship, and evangelism be separate ministry silos? If so, what are the implications? If not, how would you describe their connection?

Here is my 3-paragraph perspective:

• Context. Prayer, evangelism, and discipleship are parts of a larger context: our relationship with God. True life revolves around Him -- not us. Human beings were created and designed to worship God; that is, to “honor Him in ways that He accepts.” We are most fulfilled and He is most honored when we live and function as designed—as true, vibrant worshipers of God.

• Lifestyle. We "worship" God -- i.e., we honor Him in ways that He accepts --  by loving Him, abiding in Him, and serving Him. Imagine those as 3 concentric circles with loving at the core, abiding next, and serving as the external circle. In general, the 3 circles represent a Christ-follower's heart, head, and hands. ~~~ A core process in producing this lifestyle is our constant cultivation and practice of Christlike character. ~~~ Examples of this concept in the Scriptures include 1 Cor 13, Jn 15, Rom 12, and the entire book of Ephesians. ~~~ Our lifestyle worship is the way we meet Christ’s challenge in Matthew 5:14-16.

• Connection. Prayer is one way we “abide in” Him. Evangelism—with and without speaking evangelistic words—is part of our “serving.” Discipleship includes much of what we mean by “abiding in” (or "walking with" in Ephesians) Him, such as our spiritual disciplines, Bible study, and obedience.  

Your thoughts?

 Isn’t it exciting to have your precious grandchild come running into your arms with hugs and kisses? Your six-year-old granddaughter calling to tell you she lost her first tooth and the tooth fairy is coming to her house or your seven-year-old grandson thrilled to tell you how many goals he made in his soccer game. Last Saturday my two youngest granddaughters came over to visit and we enjoyed making cookies together. Just as you enjoy your relationships with your grandchildren, God enjoys your relationship with Him.  

     This month as we celebrate Valentine’s we are reminded of our relationships, a time when friends express love to each other. However, it can also be a great reminder for us to express our love to our heavenly Father for the privilege of having a personal relationship with Him.

      Prayer is about a relationship, our relationship with God, and those for whom we pray. God gave us the gift of prayer so we could communicate with Him because He loves us and desires our communication. God does not want us to make our prayers a great production. He wants us to have a personal, intimate conversation with Him from our hearts, sharing our fears and struggles.

      Paul Miller writes in his book, The Praying Life, “American culture is probably the hardest place in the world to learn to pray, we are so busy that when we slow down to pray, we find it uncomfortable. We prize accomplishments, production. However, prayer is nothing but talking to God. It feels useless, as if we are wasting time.” ₁   Our heavenly Father rejoices when we take the time in our busy, hurried life to communicate with Him in prayer, expressing our love to Him, since relationships thrive on communication.

      The enemy, Satan distracts us with our busy lives hindering our walk with God by distracting our thoughts, making our prayers shallow, hurried, or rote. We face a great deal of stress, difficulty, and disappointments in life for which we need to be deliberate in setting a regular time to pray for our loved ones and ourselves, not just when we have a crisis.

      Our lives will be less stressful if we bring our needy hearts to God asking Him to work out His agenda in our life and in the lives of our loved ones, instead of trying to figure out our own agenda. As we see our prayers answered, we will grow into a more intimate relationship with God and experience more boldness in our praying.  

      Our Enemy knows a family’s faith can be lost in one generation. However, we as grandparents can be their prayer warriors to defend their faith in Jesus Christ by praying for them. Our children and grandchildren do not inherit our salvation. Nevertheless, we can pray that when they are presented with an opportunity their hearts will be prepared to step into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

      Do you sometimes feel like you are too busy to pray?

      Are your prayers hurried or repetitious?

      When you pray do you find it hard to connect with God in our distracting world?

      How is your relationship with God?

      Jesus tells his disciples in John 15:7, 10, 11, “If you love me, you will obey me. . . . If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you . . . I have told you this so that my joy will be in you and that your joy will be complete.”

      Send your heavenly Father a Valentine telling him of your love for him by your obedience to him.

 Dear Father, I choose to make a daily appointment with

You to pray intentionally for the hearts of my children, grandchildren, and myself. I want to have an open intimate relationship with

You so I feel comfortable bringing my needy heart to You. I am going to trust you that the seeds of prayer I sow today will bring forth a harvest of blessings in the days ahead.

In Jesus Name.

Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life, (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress  2009), 15. Used by Permission of NavPress, All Rights Reserved. www.navpress.com

 © 2012 Lillian Penner

Author of the book Grandparenting with a Purpose.

An excellent resource to challenge grandparents and suggestions

of how to pray for their grandchildren.

I have often wondered why so many believers do not pray much, if at all. (Statistics show that more than 80% of western believers would say they have a poor prayer life.) Before I go any further I need to get right out front, that I am not a great man of prayer either. I have certainly improved greatly over the years, but I struggled for the first 30 or so years as a believer to pray almost anytime other than when a crisis was in my life (or the life of someone I cared about).

Prayer has always been something that easily gets forgotten in the church and in the lives of believers. Only decades after the early church was birthed in a prayer meeting in Acts, leaders were challenging, even begging, people to pray. James has to remind people to pray when they are in trouble and when they are sick. Paul tells them to pray for each other, to pray with thanksgiving when they are anxious.

Why does prayer get lost in the shuffle at church and in our lives? Why don’t we pray more? There are lots of reasons—in a discussion on this topic with several national prayer leaders a few years ago we came up with more than 15. But I want to focus on four major reasons.

1. Many believers do not pray because they are not really converted. In any church today—no matter what the denomination—there are people who at one point in their life prayed a prayer, went to a confirmation class and/or were baptized, but it “didn’t take.” They did it because it was the right thing to do, not because they were truly surrendering and giving Christ their lives. With no Holy Spirit indwelling them, they only pray when desperate, out of guilt, because it is expected or for show.
2. Other believers do not pray because they are no longer surrendered to God. They maybe once truly gave their hearts to Jesus Christ, but now they are back in control of their lives. An unsurrendered believer will not pray much. Why? Because all true prayer is an act of surrender. It is saying “I can’t do this; I need You to do something.” And when we say that, we are giving the Spirit the right to take over. An unsurrendered person finds that difficult to do.
3. Still other believers stopped praying out of disappointment with God. They prayed for something they wanted to see happen—perhaps even desperately prayed—but what they prayed for never came about. So they got angry or disappointed with God. That disappointment and confusion caused them to walk away from prayer.
4. Finally some believers do not pray because of the attack that comes. This often happens to people who have been at times strong intercessors or people of prayer. But the relentless attack of the enemy on a praying person has taken its toll on them. It is easier to pray less and let things stay “quieter” around them. I once had a believer tell me she did not want to pray in a situation because “that just riles up Satan.”

Actually, Satan uses numbers one through three in every one of our lives from time to time to keep us from prayer. As believers who want to pray more effectively, we need to continually stay aware of the things that are keeping us from it. I encourage you to regularly ask the Holy Spirit to draw you to prayer. Encourage others to get past these hindrances, too. Despite the struggles, the rewards are worth it!

Jonathan Graf is the publisher of Prayer Connect, the president of the Church Prayer Leaders Network, and the author of The Power of Personal Prayer and Praying Like Paul.

© 2012 www.prayerconnect.com. For information on subscribing to Prayer Connect, click here.

Pray or Else

by Joe McKeever

It’s been said that the family that prays together, stays together—but do you know just how true that really is? Seriously! A 1993 Gallup poll revealed that among married couples who attend church together regularly, the divorce rate is one out of two.  How sad. That’s the same statistic as for marriages anywhere. But get this: among couples who pray together daily, the divorce rate is one out of 1,153. [i]What a difference!

One of the best gifts a couple can give their children (and each other) is the gift of a strong marriage and family life knit together through prayer. Prayer builds unity and intimacy. We become intimate to whom we pray, for whom we pray, and with whom we pray. Prayer is the key to unlocking extraordinary blessings for children and families the way a key unlocks a gate.

Years ago, my husband Doug came up with a slogan for our family that, in our house, prayer should always be “the first response, not a last resort.” I’d go so far to say that prayer has not only been our lifeline to heaven (and sometimes to sanity!), but it’s also been our greatest and most valued parenting tool.

What that's meant for this mom, specifically, has been to make every effort to pray first, open mouth second. I've had to work on it even harder as my kids have grown and become adults.  More often than not, my role is not to fix, not to correct, not to express an opinion … but to pray.  And then step back and trust God. (Yes, hard to do I know. But He always comes through and I’ve learned to trust Him.)

Proverbs 31: 27 says, “She watches over the affairs of her household.” I skipped merrily over that verse for years until one day I just happened to read it at the same time as I was reading elsewhere in the Bible that day. Isaiah 62:6-7 says, “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest.”

That jumped out at me. I’m a word person. Both roots of those words—watches and watchman—have similar meanings, “to peer into the distance, observe, watch; to hedge about (as with thorns), guard, protect, attend to”[ii] They can also be translated “lookout” or “doorkeeper.”[iii]

How very cool.  I realized way back then that prayer is one of the most powerful roles a mother can play in her children’s lives. So much more can be accomplished for my kids from my knees than from my mouth! Correction, instruction, suggestions, and advice are all very well and good—and necessary.  But years of experience tell me (and I know many other praying moms who will agree with me) that some of the most powerful breakthroughs I’ve seen with my children have been when I prayed instead of only trying to fix a situation with natural means.

My friend Cindy has a sign posted in her family room, where she can see it every day, that says PRAY BIG. I love it.  I think it's the perfect mom-slogan. :-)

Have you PRAYED for your kids today?

The Big Impact of Small Churches

Font size:

Shawn McMullen 10/03/2011

© iStockphoto.com/ImagineGolf

4 Proven Insights for Thriving in a Small Church

What are you running these days?

It’s the question church leaders hear—and dread—usually at conferences or seminars, anywhere Type A personalities have gathered to talk about ministry and their churches. Unfortunately, in our American church culture, the measurement of how good you are as a person and as a pastor seems to rely on your answer to the question—that one telling number we define ourselves by.

I still remember a pastor who had brought me in to lead an an evangelistic meeting for the small church he led. While I was there, I spent several days as a guest in the pastor’s home. In the late afternoons, he and I would sit on the family’s front porch and invariably people strolling by would stop to talk, often expressing their appreciation to the pastor for his counsel or encouragement. One morning, we walked into a nearby diner for breakfast and this personable preacher stopped at every table (I’m not exaggerating!) to talk and laugh with someone he knew.

This man and his family were making a profound impact on the people in their small community. But when the days’ meetings were over and we sat on that same porch in the quiet of the evening, the preacher’s gregarious voice grew soft and subdued as he talked about the discouragement he felt in his ministry. Many of his seminary classmates had gone on to serve much larger congregations. By comparison, he felt as if he’d failed. I sensed a similar feeling of inferiority among some members of his congregation.

For lack of a better phrase, this pastor and his church suffered from low ministry self-esteem. In their thinking, because they weren’t big, they weren’t successful—or effective—or healthy. >>>

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise– in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?   Psalms 56:3-4 NIV

What are you afraid of?  Be honest before God and ask Him to replace your fear with praise.  Trust Him.  He has been so faithful.

Now think about the kids you are responsible for each day.  What are they afraid of?

• Physical abuse?
• Sexual abuse?
• Being left alone
• Not having enough to eat?
• Moving . . . again?
• Parents splitting up?

I pray that today you can give them stability – perhaps the only stability they have in their life.  I pray that you can be sensitive to needs – even when you don’t know what they are.  I pray that you will allow the Lord to replace YOUR fears with praise and trust.

Seek God for the City is designed to empower entire churches and even citywide movements to unite their prayers for a special 40-day season. Now the children’s companion guide is available—providing a way to equip children to pray along with each other and their families. The kids’ version of Seek God for the City 2012 is available as a free downloadable PDF file. You have permission to photocopy all that you need. Find it online at www.waymakers.org/childrens-guide.html.                          Put another tool in the hands of moms and dads that will help them teach their children to extend their prayers and passions beyond their own needs.

This year the children’s companion version has been entirely rewritten. Of course, the prayers are framed with clear, simple language, making it easy for kids to express heartfelt prayer for others. Every one of the prayers springs from the same Bible verses as the adult version, making it easy for a family to read and pray together. Don’t let the simple language fool you. The prayers are focused on Jesus, making them richly appropriate for people of any age.

Check out the new pages on our website. www.waymakers.org/childrens-guide.html. You’ll see a short helpful video by Trudy Landis, the author of the kids’ prayers. There are other practical ideas for Sunday School teachers and parents to help young minds learn to express prayers of hope for their community.

Be sure you have plenty of booklets for the adults. Our supply of Seek God for the City 2012 is moving rapidly. It’s not too late to get copies of the English and/or Spanish booklets. Call us today 800-264-5214, or find us online www.waymakers.org/seek-god-for-the-city.html.

On a couple of occasions recently I've been called to lead a time of corporate prayer for ministries I'm involved in that face some real challenges. Of course I asked God how He wanted the prayer times to be led—and He gave me a picture. In my mind's eye, I saw Jesus, similar to how He is described in Revelation 1, walking among these ministries. He was talking to us, sometimes smiling, putting a hand warmly on a shoulder, sometimes looking serious and concerned.

Continuing my reflection, I turned to Revelation and meditated on the first three chapters. With what I read there along with the picture God gave me, I sensed how He wanted the prayer times to be led. The format was very simple. It went like this:

Start with worship. In Revelation 1, John has a vision of Jesus that literally causes him to fall on his face. Although John was probably Jesus' closest friend on earth--intimate enough that he rested his head on Jesus' bosom--this is the glorified Jesus John is seeing now, and his response is holy fear, awe and worship. Worship is an excellent way to start a time of prayer for your church or ministry. Whatever challenges it faces, a vision of Jesus in His glory puts things into perspective. During one of our prayer times we started the worship part by singing "Holy, Holy, Holy" and then offered short prayers of praise and worship.

Thank God for the good. When our churches or ministries are going through hard times, it's easy to lose sight of what's going well. In our recent Revelation-based prayer times, we recalled that as He walked through each of the seven churches in Chapters 2 and 3, Jesus commended the good He saw there. He noticed how different churches had exhibited hard work, perseverance, faithfulness, and so on. So we asked Him to help us see the things in our fellowships that bring Him pleasure. We listened quietly for a while, then thanked Him for what the Holy Spirit brought to mind. There were some surprises--joys we'd nearly lost sight of in the midst of the more recent challenges. Being reminded of and expressing gratitude for those goodnesses gave us courage and hope.

Repent of personal sin. However, Jesus did not only commend the good. He also had things "against" the churches. When He looks at our fellowships, I'm sure He also notices where we're falling short. Often it's easy for us--okay, for me--to think the "problem" is everybody else. But guess what, I'm part of the body, and I make my contribution to its dis-ease. So in our prayer times, we allowed everyone a chance to invite the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and then confess what He revealed. Many of us confessed sins in our reactions to the problems our ministries are facing. Reactions of bitterness, detachment, discouragement, pride, anger, frustration, fear-of-man, arrogance, futility, and so on. It was really good to receive God's forgiveness for these. Doing so put is a much more humble and understanding place to move on to the next part.

Intercede for what is not going well. In each case, those of us who gathered for prayer had ideas of what we each thought was out of line. But as we prayed with this Revelation format, asking Jesu to show us what He saw, some of those ideas were adjusted, others dropped, new ones added. How Jesus saw us was not exactly how we had seen ourselves. He revealed heart attitudes, spiritual warfare, seemingly trivial actions--things we hadn't seen or considered--and led us to confess them on behalf of the body and intercede for repentance.

Close with confidence. At the end of Revelation 3, in a verse familiar to most of us, Jesus says that He is knocking at our "doors." If we will hear Him and invite Him in, He will share a meal with us--He will fellowship with us. Knowing this gives me great confidence. Whatever challenges and distress our ministires find ourselves in, Jesus is still knocking, not giving up, wanting to come in and be with us and lead us into life. So we closed our prayer times with declarations of our confidence in Him--His love, guidance, truth, help, rescue, healing, and so forth.

It's too soon to know the big-picture outcomes of our prayer times. But I do know that all of us who participated went away knowing we'd connected with Jesus, and that inspite of our struggles, He was still with us and for us and and working among us to make things right and whole. If you lead prayer for a ministry that is facing tough situations, perhaps you'd want to try leading a prayer time with the Revelation format. Let me know how it goes.

. . . 2013 begins right now.

I know, the new year of 2012 has just begun. We’re still paying for all those presents we gave away a few weeks ago at Christmas. Ninety percent of this year remains to unfold before we have to think about 2013; lots of living to be done before this year is complete; why think about the next one so soon?

Because the goals we set for 2012 will determine how much more prayer-capacity our teams and congregations will have when we venture into 2013.  Unless we have a destination in mind, we may spend the next 12 months wandering in a wilderness of simply repeating the same kind of prayers and recycling the same type of prayer experiences. [Note: If your prayer team or congregation has nowhere to grow, then you are dismissed from needing to read on. Really.]  [Note to those who can be dismissed: PLEASE let us know about your team of church so that we can share your story on the CPLN! Really!]

Early in my ministry I devoted significant time to researching the role of leaders and the responsibility of a good leader to set good goals. Two helpful teachings have traveled with me since then.

1) “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” For me, that statement lifted goal-setting from a self-manufactured idea of what I want to accomplish to a loftier objective revealed through the prayer partnership I was developing with the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit can and often has used preachers or speakers, books or workshops, to reveal that objective but the best goals I set for our teams or congregation came directly from the mind of Christ. Lesson learned? When it comes to a question about what goals to set for prayer, the first step is always to pray:

a. Ask – a question

b. Seek – be still and listen

c. Knock – open that door and move forward

Deadline? Obviously that refers to establishing a target date by which to accomplish the objective. If a specific date is not appropriate, consider paraphrasing to: “A goal is a dream with a destination” so that you can be confident as a leader that the journey you are asking your members to take is headed in a specific direction--a place worth the efforts it will take to change/learn/grow.

2) “Every goal must be ownable, reachable, measureable.” Stating a goal is often not adequate. A set of strategic questions will help us dig deeper to strengthen the transformational potential of the goals:

*Is this goal ownable? Will the members of the team or the leaders of church or the members of the congregation buy into the purpose of this specific idea? Will they be able to see a personal benefit to their discipleship? Will they have participated in the goal-setting process?

*Is this goal reachable? With Christ, all things are possible, but have we set a standard (of time invested or persons impacted, for example) that we would like to achieve but will probably not aspire to? Are we over (or under) reaching? Sometimes less is more, if it accurately reflects the level of faith and opportunity He has given to us.

*Is this goal measureable? How will we know when we’ve succeeded? If our goal is to allow for more participation in the prayer experience, (weeknight or Sunday worship prayer) then it will be simple to assess our progress. If the goal is to deepen everyone’s personal relationship with the Lord through prayer, we will need to involve our members in the assessing and evaluating process. In order to measure a goal, the leader must establish a process that includes the persons for which he/she is establishing the objective and create a safe environment for honest discussion, reflection, even failure.

Bonus!  “If you aim at nothing you’ll hit it every time.”  When the calendar turns 2013, what will those you steward in prayer say you aimed at?  And don’t forget, if you’ve aimed and hit the mark, give credit to the Spirit and celebrate the success!

It seems to me, 2013 begins right now.

Phil Miglioratti

Originally published in Prayer Leader Online

Church Prayer Leaders Network